We're constantly presented with images of amazing looking women with flawless skin and perfect figures in magazines, newspapers and in print ads no matter where we go. I'd imagine most of us are aware that this isn't how these women really look - we've all seen candid shots of enough models to know that - but it's still disheartening because it's generally an image that is just so unobtainable for the majority of us. The cosmetics industry pays some small form of lip service to this - Jane Fonda is advertising anti-ageing creams in TV ads and Andie McDowell has been a L'Oreal spokesmodel for years, for example, but it's hardly representative. Also, Andie McDowell manages to be completely smug and hateful, thus negating any positive message they might be trying to get across.
While I think Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty is great and all that, the cynic in me knows they're just doing it for publicity and to shift ever greater proportions of one quarter moisturising cream off the shelves. I mean, they're not doing it for the sake of their health, they're a big multi-national who are out to make bucks. But this recent video created by Dove is a pretty good illustration of exactly what does go on behind the scenes of a photoshoot and what happens to the resultant photos. It makes for interesting viewing.
Some more examples of digital image re-touching are available over at graphic-design.com, and even more on this portfolio website.
This, however, is my favourite example of this kind of thing - it's a slick Swedish initiative that shows you before and after photos, and is designed to demonstrate exactly what happens in photo re-touching. It effectively illustrates in a step by step manner just how unrealistic the final result is.
All of this should provide a bit of food for thought - and speaking of food, have that extra biscuit, because I bet you're already gorgeous just as you are.
